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I have always believed that on important issues, the leaders must lead. Where the leaders fail to lead, and people are really concerned about it, the people will take the lead and make the leaders follow.

Kofi Annan

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Kofi Annan
Age: 80 †
Born: 1938
Born: April 8
Died: 2018
Died: August 18
Diplomat
Economist
Politician
Coomassie
Kofi Atta Annan
Annan
Kofi A. Annan
Always
Failing
People
Leader
Issues
Believed
Take
Leaders
Must
Fail
Important
Lead
Really
Follow
Make
Concerned

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Gather the five virtues (Dignity, Confidence, Courage, Compassion, and Faith). Then you are a man.
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Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace.
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To build a more healthy, peaceful and equitable world the classrooms of the world have to be full of girls as well as boys.
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Let us all reaffirm our commitment to improving the well- being of families throughout the world.
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One of my biggest regrets was the fact that as an institution and an international community we could not stop the war in Iraq. That really was very difficult and very painful. Every fibre in my body felt it was wrong. I spoke to leaders, we spoke to people, we tried... we couldn't stop it... and we see the results.
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International law now grants rights to all human beings, not only to citizens.
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Nelson Mandela stands as an inspiration to us all
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... the long-lasting humanitarian impact of these inhuman weapons continues to deny communities the opportunity to rebuild long after the end of the conflicts.
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You will recall that for months after 9/11, there was incredible support and sympathy for the US. I really hoped and wished they had played on that, and kept all these friends they had made, and found a way of dealing with the terrorists through co-operation of international intelligence services, police exchange of information.
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To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.
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The international community... allows nearly 3 billion people - almost half of all humanity - to subsist on $2 or less a day in a world of unprecedented wealth.
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Perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date has been the Montreal Protocol.
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Microfinance recognizes that poor people are remarkable reservoirs of energy and knowledge
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We tend to look at countries in terms of failed states and functioning states, which is rather simplistic.
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Poverty devastates families, communities and nations. It causes instability and political unrest and fuels conflict.
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In their greatest hour of need, the world failed the people of Rwanda.
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I hope we do not see another Iraq-type operation for a long time - without UN approval and much broader support from the international community.
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Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.
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In countries where democracy is either non-existent or in development, on the other hand, citizens crave those freedoms. Maybe that is one lesson Western citizens can learn from those countries: treasure what you have. Use your rights and freedoms to effect the change you want.
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The report [by a UN commission on Darfur] demonstrates beyond all doubt that the last two years have been little short of hell on earth for our fellow human beings in Darfur.
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